BECHER, Siegfried, Bohemian statistician and economist: b. Plan, Bohemia, 28 Feb. 1806; d. Vienna, 4 March 1873. He studied first in Prague, then in Vienna, then, in 1831, entered the government service, but four years later was appointed professor at the Polytechnic Institute in Vienna. In 1848 he became attached to the Ministry of Commerce, for which he made a trip of investigation in Germany and Belgium the following year. Among his important works are ‘Das österreichische Münzwesen von 1524 bis 1838 in historischer, statistischer und legislativer Hinsicht’ (2 vols., Vienna 1838); ‘Statistische Ubersicht des Handels der österreichischen Monarchie mit dem Auslande während der Jahre 1829-38’ (Stuttgart 1841); ‘Die deutschen Zoll-und Handelsverhältnisse zur Anbahnung der österreichisch-deutschen Zoll-und Handelseinigung’ (Leipzig 1850); ‘Die Volkswirtschaft’ (Vienna 1853).